I am thankful for victory.

Matthew 7:7

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Death is one of the most natural and inevitable parts of our existence. It comes for all of us; rich and poor, man and woman, powerful and weak…yet, for Jesus it was different. In Jesus, we see a different outcome. Christ died a horribly painful and public death, but that was not the end of the story. God rose Jesus from the dead to conquer the inescapable and to be victorious over sin and the grave. That death and resurrection was not for God’s sake. Ultimately, it was to show us how to love, to reconcile us to God, to restore us into right relationship with our Creator, and to redeem us so that we might live in God forever.

In The Confession of 1967, we affirm that Jesus “expressed the love of God in word and deed and became a brother to all kinds of sinful people. In giving himself for them, he took upon himself the judgment under which all people stand convicted. We believe that God raised him from the dead, vindicating him as Messiah and Lord. The victim of sin became victor, and won the victory over sin and death for all.”

Today, I am thankful for Jesus’ victory over death, so that I might truly live.

Prayer

Loving God, I thank You for the gifts of Your extravagant love and grace. You endured pain and suffering for my sake and in the end were victorious over the cross and even death. Thank You for redeeming me so that I can live freely. Strengthen me to respond to this incredible act of love by loving those around me today. Thank You for all Your blessings. In Your name I pray, Amen.